Saint Francis Pacheco
Saint Francis Pacheco (born 1566 AD in Ponte de Lima, Portugal; died June 20, 1626 AD in Nagasaki, Japan) was a Portuguese Jesuit priest and bishop who was martyred in Japan by slow burning — suspended upside-down in a pit — during the great Tokugawa persecution of Japanese Christians. He is one of the Martyrs of Japan, beatified in 1867 and canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1987 as part of the 188 Martyrs of Japan. His feast day is June 20.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Francis Pacheco
| Saint Francis Pacheco | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | June 20 |
| Profession | Jesuit priest; bishop; missionary; martyr |
| Rel. Affiliation | Society of Jesus (Jesuits); Bishop of Japan (apostolic vicar) |
| Patronage | Japan; Portugal; missionaries; those persecuted for the faith |
| Attributes | Jesuit habit; inverted cross or pit (ana-tsurushi); palm of martyrdom; bishop's vestments |
| Birthplace | Ponte de Lima, Viana do Castelo, Portugal |
| Death Place | Nagasaki, Kyushu, Japan |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; tortured by ana-tsurushi (pit torture — suspended upside-down in a pit) at Nagasaki under Tokugawa Iemitsu |
| Primary Shrine | Nagasaki (martyrdom site); Martyrs Museum and Basilica of the Twenty-Six Martyrs; various Jesuit and Portuguese shrines |
| Liturgical Class | Feast (June 20, with the Martyrs of Japan; Memorial in some local calendars) |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Francis Pacheco was born in 1566 in Ponte de Lima in northern Portugal. He entered the Society of Jesus and was sent to Japan as a missionary. He served as Visitor (provincial superior) of the Jesuit mission in Japan during the deadly Tokugawa persecution.
The Tokugawa shogunate (1603–1868) banned Christianity and progressively intensified persecution. The ana-tsurushi or pit torture — in which victims were suspended upside-down in a pit with a small cut behind the ear to let blood drain slowly, preventing swift death — was developed specifically to break priests and extract apostasy, since death by this method took many days or even weeks.
Francis Pacheco was captured and subjected to this torture at Nagasaki on June 20, 1626, together with other Jesuit missionaries and Japanese Christians. He died without apostasizing.
He was beatified by Pope Pius IX in 1867 and canonized by Pope John Paul II on September 7, 1987, in Lisbon, Portugal — during the pope's pastoral visit to Portugal — with 187 other Japanese martyrs of the 17th century.
His feast day is June 20.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Ponte de Lima, Viana do Castelo, Portugal
Death location: Nagasaki, Kyushu, Japan
Notable location: The city of his martyrdom; the great Unzen hot springs and Nishizaka Hill are sites of the Tokugawa martyrdom of Japanese Christians; his martyrdom by pit torture at Nagasaki is one of the most horrific recorded (Nagasaki, Kyushu, Japan)
Notable location: His birthplace; honored in his home city in northern Portugal; canonized in nearby Lisbon by Pope John Paul II in 1987 (Ponte de Lima, Portugal)
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Parishes
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Shrines
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Known shrines
- Nishizaka Martyrs' Site, Nagasaki — national monument; Martyrs Museum and Basilica.
- Ponte de Lima, Portugal — honored in his birthplace.
Feast day
June 20
Veneration
Saint Francis Pacheco is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church with a feast day on June 20 (with the Martyrs of Japan).
Prayers
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